Apples and Herbs
by A Ship of Epic Proportions
Summary: In this ship of Dash and 'Jack, numerous tales are spun. Take a look.    Honestly, it isn't that good. The site also took out random quotation marks, which WERE in the document. Just kinda insert 'em in.
1. Chapter 1

Apples and Herbs

Chapter 1 The Obligation

"Well? What do you think?"

Applejack stared at her.

"It...doesn't seem like...YOU, really."

A confused Rainbow Dash cocked her head.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ah...Ah just think that it...doesn't seem to fit your(YUR) personality."

Dash grumbled. "Do you like it, or not?" she asked indignantly.

The thing in question was Dash's new perfume. Rarity had said that whether or not she was going to look nice, she might as well smell nice.  
>The scent in question smelled rather like mint, mixed with various herbal essences.<p>

"Ah-yes,but-"

"Good, then that's final."

Applejack sighed, sometimes Dash could be so stubborn.  
>"If you'll excuse me, I have werk to do." Applejack huffed, turning back to bucking trees.<p>

Rainbow looked uneasy, opened her mouth, but then shut it, and walked quickly away.  
>'Well, ain't that strange...' she thought to herself.<br>'Ah expected some bickerin', at least...ah-'

"What in tarnation?" she said aloud.  
>She felt the top of her head, only to find that her signature stetson hat was missing.<p>

'Sneaky little...ooh, she's good...'

Dash laughed as she flew through the air.  
>'Wow, she didn't even notice! I'm that good!'<br>She continued, thinking that maybe she should turn back.  
>She turned around, but accidentally dropped the stetson. She dove down, but her hooves missed it. Comically, it came to rest on the top of her head. She giggled, and was just about to snatch it off, when she stopped herself. She felt...kind of...well, tingly.<p>

'I'm...I'm wearing AJ's hat...' she thought dumbly, that simple thought somehow increasing the feeling.  
>'Woah, what the heck, Rainbow?' she asked herself, ripping the hat from her head.<br>She flew as fast as she could toward Sweet Apple Acres, before anything else strange could happen.

Applejack was just about to buck a particularly large tree, when Dash came soaring in, accidentally running into the tree.  
>"Ho' there, flyer girl!" Applejack said.<p>

"You finally decided to come back, eh?"

Dash rubbed her head, wincing. She was going to have a lovely bruise sooner or later.  
>"Yeah, thought it'd take you a while to notice your hat's gone. I mean..."<p>

Applejack tuned her out as a slight creeeeeeeak! sounded from her left. She saw the large apple tree begin to tip over, shaken from it's roots by Dash's impact.  
>Rainbow was too busy joking with her friend to notice.<p>

"Rainbow! Watch out!" she called.

Dash, who'd turned to gesture, turned her head back towards where Applejack was. Applejack decided that it was time for action. She galloped towards her friend, shoving her to the side,then turning a full 85 degrees to face the falling mass of lumber.  
>Applejack took a stance on her front hooves, and performed a perfect full-force buck upwards. It had alot of force, but there is a difference between bucking stationary trees, and stopping extremely heavy trees from falling.<br>While she did slow it down, Applejack simply wasn't strong enough to keep it still. The tree continued it's downward tumble, but now it was taking Applejack with it.  
>Rainbow's eyes widened as the moment unfolded in slow motion. She burst forward, but by the time she got there, the tree had driven every gasp of air from Applejack's lungs.<p>

"APPLEJACK!" she cried, beginning to panic.

Applejack managed to draw some air into her lungs, and managed a, "Go...get...help..." , before collapsing back, unable to fight the large tree's weight.

Rainbow tried to lift it up herself, but then realized Applejack was right, she couldn't do it alone.  
>She thought of the closest friend she could find, and took off, flying faster than Pinkie Pie on a sugar high.<p>

Twilight Sparkle was busy studying some new spells, when she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Let me rephrase that.

She was interrupted by the door being knocked down.  
>Twilight turned, startled, to see a familiar light-blue pony.<br>"RAINBOW DASH!" she said, rather loudly.

"Do you have any idea how much that door-"

She was interrupted by Rainbow urgently saying, "Just...come with me, quick! We ll worry about your cruddy door later!"

Twilight sighed, setting down the book she was reading.

"What's the big hurry?" she asked.

Dash, halfway out the door already, paused, impatient.  
>"You can see for yourself! C mon, we don't have time!"<p>

Twilight, wondering what she was getting into, followed her friend as she shot off towards the general direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight gasped at the sight of Applejack wheezing quietly under the large apple tree.

"W...What h.. happened here?"She asked, on the verge of freaking out.

"NO TIME! MOVE THE THE BIG TREE OFF OF HER, PLEASE!" Rainbow Dash shouted, almost pleading now.

Twilight was engulfed in confusion, but she didn't hesitate to carry out Dash s logical orders.  
>Her horn lit up with a purple transparent glow, which soon covered the large apple tree that was crushing Applejack. Slowly but surely, the tree was moving off of Apple s motionless body. As soon as there was enough space, Dash swooped in and grabbed Applejack.<br>Twilight was a bit surprised at the speed Dash rushing in to save Applejack. However, she was more concerned about the fact that Applejack was no longer breathing.  
>Rainbow Dash lay near her motionless friend, shaking her softly saying Come on Applejack, wake up!"<br>Rainbow, we need to get some medical help, fast! She commanded.  
>Rainbow Dash looked at the lavender pony, through her now watery eyes.<br>Dash picked up Applejack swiftly, and placed the orange mare on her back.  
>Dash gave a meek "Okay" , and took to the skies in a flash, Twilight also disappearing in a flash, but instead, a bright one.<p>

Dash busted through the doors of Ponyville's Urgent Care facility.  
>Dash galloped over the light blue tile floor, making her way to a small office window, in the corner of the lobby.<br>A young, white mare looked up from her desk, to be face to face with a prism colored maned pegasus.

"How may I help y-"

"This pony needs help, NOW!" Dash exclaimed.

"She's... not breathing! Please help!" She sobbed, almost hysterical at the thought of losing such a close friend.

The young mare pressed her hoof on a red button and talked into a microphone.

"We need a doctor in the lobby, stat!"

She announced into the mic, projecting her voice through out the medical facility.  
>A light blue stallion, quickly came from behind two large flapping doors, two other ponies right behind him.<br>He glanced over at Rainbow Dash, who wore a face of relief but, her eyes screamed large amounts of concern.

"Go get that orange mare off that pegasus's back." The doctor commanded his helper ponies.

They quickly trotted over, and put Applejack on a small hospital gurney, and carried her through some large rosewood doors.  
>The doctor glanced back at Dash, with a reassuring face.<br>"Don't worry."He started.

"We'll check her and diagnose her in no time. As soon as we get some information on her condition, I will come back and tell you."

Dash wiped a tear from her eye, and let out a soft "Okay".

The doctor heard the "Okay" , and galloped towards the rosewood doors, in effort to catch up to his helpers.

Dash turned around to find Twilight gazing at the flapping rosewood doors.  
>Dash and Twilight both glanced at each other, anxious for the life of their friend.<br>-

After waiting for what seemed like weeks, which was really only about 50 or so minutes, the rosewood doors opened again, admitting the light blue doctor pony again.  
>Dash and Twilight immediately stood up from the chairs they were sitting on.<br>The lavender unicorn was the first to speak.

"How is she, doctor?" She quickly questioned.

The doctor jumped back a tad bit, before opening his mouth.

"TELL US ALREADY, DOC!" Dash exclaimed.

The doctor hesitated. "I... I'm afraid I have some bad news, and good news."  
>Twilight and Dash exchanged terrified expressions.<p>

"What's...what's the good news?" Twilight asked.

"Well, the good news is, we managed to get her breathing, and her heart beating again."

The two concerned ponies let sighs of relief slide through their lips.

"The bad news is...she's been showing abnormal signs in heart rate, which most likely means she's in a vegetative state, A.K.A, a coma. We can't be sure yet, but it sure looks like it. And,on top of that...we noticed the ligaments on both of her hind legs, are heavily damaged. And also the general mid-section of her back is twisted in a dangerous position . Her back will take much time to heal, as for her legs... well she ll be lucky to ever walk correctly again for the most part. Odds are, she'll always have a rather odd gait while walking." The doctor finished, trailing off.

Twilight's and Dash's spirits dropped, hard. They both had trouble thinking, as their heads were rushed by the thought of Applejack never walking.

"C...can we... see her?" Dash asked, sadness present in her question.

The doctor sighed.

"Well, I think it is too early for that. Her present state is a dangerous one. She will need all the rest she can get, with the least amount of outside distraction."

Both Twilight and Dash looked towards the tile floor, as a curtain of depression hung over the both of them.

"I suggest you two go home, get yourselves some rest as well. As soon as Applejack's condition changes, we will send you a letter."

They both muttered an "Okay" at the same time, as they turned for the entrance of Urgent Care.

'Poor fillies.' the doctor thought, as he turned his attention to the rosewood doors behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 What's Done Is Done.

-2 weeks from previous events.

An exhausted Twilight got out of bed, and passed by a mirror. She chuckled at the sight of her bedraggled hair, and began to comb it back into place. When she was done, she went downstairs, yawning.  
>She went through her normal daily routine, and decided she'd go talk to Rainbow today. She'd been unusually quiet, and Twilight had given her time to pull out of it, but so far, she hadn't.<br>As she stepped outside, she noticed the sky was a steel-gray, covered in clouds.  
>'Either I'm early...' she thought, 'Or she's late.'<br>She took a step forward, and felt her hoof strike something made of paper. She peeked down, and noticed a small white envelope, from Urgent Care.  
>She opened it, and began to quietly read to herself,<br>'Dear Miss Sparkle,  
>After running numerous inconclusive tests, all that we can conclude is that she is most likely comatose. So far, she's been like that for about a day after the incident. Her pulse dropped, and it never really went back up. The longer she's in a comatose state, the less likely she is to wake up. I'm sorry to say this, but she may not wake up again, any time soon. It's a race against time, and she's losing.<br>I hope you understand,  
>Doctor Blueblood.'<br>Desperation clawed at her heart.  
>'No! This can't be true!' she thought to herself.<br>Tears sprang out of the corners of her eyes as she realized that she had just lost one of the best ponies in Ponyville. More importantly, she'd lost one of her friends.  
>Her grieving was interrupted by an ebullient, yet wondering voice.<br>"Twilight! What're you doing? Did that paper hurt your feelings?"  
>Twilight turned around to find Pinkie Pie nearly bouncing on the spot with energy.<br>Twilight sniffed.  
>"Yeah, I guess you could say that..." Pinkie's face turned confused. "How? Did it give you a papercut?"<br>Twilight smiled, in spite of her sorrow. Pinkie sure knew how to give somepony a smile.  
>"No, Pinkie...It's what's ON the paper that has me so upset."<br>Pinkie hopped closer, bouncing over Twilight repeatedly.  
>"Lemee see! Lemee see!" she cried excitedly.<br>Twilight sighed, and handed the small paper to Pinkie. After a few seconds of squinting, and even turning it upside-down, she said,  
>"Whatever this says, it sure is messy! Even I can't read it!"<br>Twilight stifled a small giggle.  
>"Here, I'll read it." she offered.<br>Twilight forced herself to look at the paper once more, and started to read it's contents, suppressing her tears the best that she could.  
>After Twilight was done, she looked up from the manila paper, and saw Pinkie's hair deflate.<br>Sadness washed over Pinkie s face, as tears started to form in her eyes. Twilight slowly trotted over to Pinkie pie and put a hoof on her shoulder.  
>"It's... it's okay, Pinkie. I'm p..pretty sure AJ will pull through." Twilight stammered.<br>Pinkie glanced at Twilight, the hurt in her eyes piercing through Twilight's soul.  
>Twilight, now on the verge of sobbing, leaned close to her pink friend to give a hug, but something unexpected happened. Pinkie Pie's hair inflated, to it s normal wild self.<br>A wide grin came across Pinkie s face.  
>"Well, if Applejack is down in the sicky-sicks, she needs a party to feel better! "Pinkie cheerfully exclaimed.<br>Twilight felt a warm smile come across her face. She felt good that Pinkie was handling this a lot better than she thought she would.  
>"Okay, Pinkie...we can throw Applejack a party, but first we need to tell the others... mostly Dash." Twilight said, feeling rather fond of the pink pony.<br>"Okey dokey lokey, Twilight. I ll go get Dashie." Pinkie bubbily claimed.  
>"Um, Pinkie..." Twilight said, causing Pinkie Pie to stop in mid hop. "Can I go get Rainbow Dash?" she softly questioned.<br>"Sure thing, Twilight! I'll just get the others!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing away.

Twilight, using the cloud-walking spell, walked up to the door of Rainbow's house, and knocked loudly. She got no response, even after awkwardly waiting for 2 peeked through a window, and, unexpectedly, Dash was there. She peeked a little closer, and it appeared that she was clutching an object in her hooves, but she couldn't be too sure about it. Twilight knocked again, and this time got a weary,"Come in."  
>Twilight nudged the door open, and took a few steps in. Like always, the house was breathtaking. Numerous coloured tapestries hung from the wall, and different coloured furniture adorned the large first story room. After a few seconds of admiration, she walked over to where Dash was lying on a bed-like couch.<br>"Rainbow?"  
>A glum "Yeah?" issued back.<br>"Do you...wanna go to Pinkie's party?" she asked gently.  
>Dash rolled over. "Who, or what, is she celebrating about this time?"<br>Twilight dreaded this moment immensely.  
>"Well, since you asked... Pinkie's throwing it for Applejack, in the hopes-"<br>At the mention of the name "Applejack", Rainbow spoke up, her voice cracking with emotional pain, and loss.  
>"Oh, that'll fix EVERYTHING!" she sarcastically spoke.<br>"Dash, it's no big problem. Maybe Applejack will-"  
>Rainbow finally looked at her friend. "Do you really think you were the only one who got a letter?"<br>Twilight thought back a little, the doctor had mentioned that they'd both get a letter.  
>"I mean, it's bad enough that she may never come back...but why CELEBRATE it?" Dash asked, exasperated.<br>Twilight looked at her friend, worried.  
>"Rainbow, they aren't-"<br>"Whatever! I'm not going!" Dash said stubbornly, burying her face into the couch-bed.  
>Twilight wanted to reassure her friend, but didn't know how. 'All I can do is help her get over this barrier in her life...' she thought.<br>"Rainbow, I know this is hard on you, because it's hard on me too."  
>Rainbow Dash glanced at her. "You...you don't understand, Twilight. My best friend..." Twilight noticed she didn't say 'One of'.<br>"...could be gone, forever. Even if she wakes up, she'll probably hate me forever. All I even have to remember her by...is this."  
>She uncrossed her hooves from across her chest, allowing Twilight to see the object she'd been holding earlier.<br>Twilight studied it. It appeared to be a brownish stetson, one that Applejack-  
>'Ohhhh...' she thought, as it dawned on her.<br>"How did you-"  
>"It's what started it all. I stole her hat, and went to return it. I,well, smacked into a tree, and it WOULD have fallen on me, but AJ saved me, for whatever reason."<br>Regret entered her voice.  
>"What...what I thought would be a harmless prank, turned to disaster. And it's all my fault!"<br>She finished, breaking down into sobbing in the last sentence.  
>Twilight awkwardly stood there, not sure what to do.<br>"Dash, this...this is just another obstacle in life. You're gonna have to overcome it, like every other one you handled so easily. Just because your friend's in a deep sleep, doesn't mean you can abandon those who need you. The clouds are gathering, Rainbow. Literally, AND figuratively. You've gotta kick them away, and move on."  
>Dash managed to compose herself enough to speak.<br>"I...I guess..." she sniffled.  
>"Now, come on!" Twilight encouraged. "You don't want to leave everypony waiting, do you?"<br>Dash perked up slightly, almost returning to her former self.  
>"No, no I don't! I'll be there in 10 seconds flat!" she exclaimed, confidence returning to her features.<br>She hopped up, and quickly trotted to the front door, pushing it open. The sun, now reaching it's noon position, shone down into the house. But the clouds below prevented the sun from reaching Ponyville.  
>Dash stared the clouds down.<br>"It's showtime!"  
>-Over the period of 4 years, Ponyville changed and adapted to the loss of a very special pony. But one pegasus never, ever let go.<br>In her house, there was a small marble stand, upon which rested a brown stetson hat. A plaque below it read:  
>'In memory of the best pony who ever existed; Applejack.'<p>

Rainbow awoke to yet another morning. She was feeling unusually lethargic today. She passed by the marble stand, pausing for a quick moment of silence.

She walked out of her house.  
>Crinkle,crack!<br>Rainbow looked down, and noticed a white envelope, adorned with the ordinary postage details.  
>'So much mail nowadays...' she thought to herself.<br>She opened it up.  
>'Miss Rainbow Dash,<br>I'm pleased to inform you of a miracle. Just yesterday, right when we were about to call it 'Case closed', your friend's heart rate increased, and she entered deep REM sleep, the next step up towards consciousness. She hasn't changed since, but I have high hopes. You may see her now, if you wish, even if it has been about 4 years.  
>Delightfully yours,<br>Doctor Blueblood.'  
>For perhaps a picosecond, confusion fogged her eyes, but, quicker than light, it was replaced by immense joy, high hopes, and a sudden longing to see her friend.<br>An esteemed Rainbow Dash spread her wings, and just about took off, but glanced back.

There was something she needed to do.

Rainbow Dash entered Urgent Care, taking in the general smell of near over-sterilization. She walked up to the small office-like window, and rang the bell. A couple of seconds later, a grayish mare appeared in the gap.  
>"Yes?" she asked, rather uninterestedly.<br>"I'm here to see Applejack." Rainbow Dash said, those 5 words setting off sparks of varied emotion.  
>"Down that hall, take a left, third door on the right." The mare replied tersely.<br>"Thank you, ma'am." she said, wondering why she actually used manners for once.

Dash entered the room, to find her friend laying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a steadily beeping heart monitor, which had a number reading '80' on it. 130 marked full consciousness, 120 marked relaxed, but still conscious. The number appeared to be increasing, but somewhat slowly.  
>Rainbow noticed a chair, pulled it up near the bed.<br>"I know you probably can't hear this, or see it,but it's high time I did this."  
>She placed the brown stetson near her friend.<br>Silence followed, filled by the relatively steady beeping of the heart monitor.  
>'Did...did it-'<br>"Ya'...don't have ta'...do that..."  
>She spun around, finding herself staring at a pair of emerald eyes, which looked rather tired.<br>She did a double take, also glancing at the monitor.  
>'115', it read.<br>"Apple...Applejack?" she asked in astonishment. She rubbed her eyes, making sure it wasn't a dream, but her friend remained conscious.  
>"Eeyup." The orange mare managed, then cackling. "I sound...just like...Big Mac..."<br>She was interrupted by a blur, and felt herself embraced so tight she feared that she couldn't breathe. "Is...that...herbs...I...smell?" she gasped.  
>Rainbow broke away from the hug.<br>"Yeah. I kept using it, since you seemed to like it."  
>Rainbow walked to the door, and called out, "Hello? She's back!" she called. After a couple of seconds, Doctor Blueblood emerged from a separate room, quite a while down the hall.<br>Seeing that somepony was coming, she ducked her head back in.  
>"It's been a long 4 years, AJ...but it was worth the wait."<br>At the mention of '4 years', Applejack gave a slight start.  
>"Relax!" Rainbow said, noticing the reaction. "I told your family, Mac took over for ya', and...well, the last part's a surprise."<br>Doctor Blueblood walked in, and checked the monitor. Sure enough, her heart-rate showed she was fully aware, though all the proof he needed was her right in front of him.  
>"This is a...medical miracle!" he exclaimed. "4 whole years, and she's up! That breaks the old time by 2 years!"<br>Dash coughed lightly. "I'm sure records should be the last thing on your mind right now."  
>"Of course, of course..." he muttered.<br>Rainbow glanced at her friend, who looked just about ready to fall asleep again.  
>"We'll talk later. Get some rest, OK?"<br>"Sure thing...sugarcube." Applejack replied, closing her eyes.

Applejack opened her eyes yet again, to find a pair of violet-red eyes staring back at her.  
>"Finally, you're awake!" Rainbow exclaimed sarcastically.<br>"Ah guess so." Applejack drowsily replied.  
>"No, really. You've been asleep for almost 2 days." Applejack gave a small start.<br>"2 days? Well, I shur was mighty tired. Heck, I sleep fer 4 years, and Ah'm still tired!" she exclaimed.  
>"Now, when in the hay can I get outta this barn? I m sick'n tired of waitin' in a bed, and I just woke up!" Dash appeared to try to count in her head. "Well, the doc said you had to stay here at least 4 days, you slept off 2 of them...so 2 more days." Applejack sighed impatiently. "Ah don't see what the waitin's for. Ah'm tired, but other than that, ah feel fine." Rainbow looked slightly uneasy. "You may feel fine now, but I'd tell you not to try walking right now." "Well why in tarnation shouldn't I?" "Well...you weren't ONLY in a coma, AJ..." Applejack stared at her, confused.<br>"What the hay's that 'sposed to mean?" "Well...I asked the doc about the other things he told me bout 4 years ago, something about "ligerments" he said, but anyways, he said that most likely, you probably... well, you probably won t buck a tree ever again." Applejack felt crushed.  
>"Ah...Ah what?" "I said-"<br>"I know dern well what ya' said! I swear, if you're funnin' me, it ain't funny!"  
>Dash looked into Applejack s eyes; Dash s eyes were full of hurt and seriousness.<br>Applejack swallowed hard, she could feel the same hurt pass into her eyes.  
>Applejack shut her eyes tight, and angrily threw the covers over herself. Dash could now hear her friend s light sobs. She took that as a sign to leave.<p>

-2 days later.

Applejack walked out of Urgent Care for the first time in 4 years. Rainbow was right, she was having a little trouble walking. She kept stumbling, her rear legs just couldn't seem to keep up, and when they did, they hurt, alot.

"I don't care what them fancy doctors said..." she grumbled.  
>"Im'a buck trees, and nopony's gonna stop me!"<p>

Applejack had fierce determination in her behavior, the type that makes you become stubborn, as she was now.  
>She, for the first time in four years, entered Sweet Apple Acres.<br>The place where it all began.  
>Apple orchards still lined the many acres, and right now, it was just about harvest time. Plump red apples sat on the branches, as if they were waiting to be harvested.<p>

"Hmph! Let's prove those fancy-schmancy doctor types wrong!" she exclaimed.

She found the nearest tree, and turned her back to it.  
>She lowered her head slightly, braced her body weight on her front hooves, and sent her rear legs rocketing back, before letting out a hurried cry of pain.<br>Her rear hooves never actually made contact with the tree, but the positioning of the muscles needed to perform a successful buck were mostly in the midsection, and Applejack was in no condition to be twisting and stretching and turning it about.  
>She fell, defeated, back to the ground.<p>

"Ah...ah guess they was right..."

She was just about to try and accept it, when she noticed something.

"What in tarnation...how'd that huge cliff get there?"

She rubbed her eyes, making sure she wasn't hallucinating.  
>She wasn't.<br>Right smack dab in front of her, about 50 yards off, was a huge mountain, the top of which was dotted with apple trees. She wondered how she could have missed it.

"Well, ain't that new?" she asked herself.

She carefully approached it, and found a small trail that led up the mountain, going in a tight circle.

"C'mon, AJ. You can do this."

She began the steep ascent, hooves slipping and scrabbling for purchase. The tail was littered with small pebbles and twigs, but AJ managed to keep her balance.  
>After about 10 minutes of a hard climb, Applejack managed to reach the top. She stood at the altitude of 1052 feet, wind blowing slightly and constantly, adding an eerie moan to the silence.<br>She peeked down, amazed at the fact that; first, she was so high up, and second, the fact that there was a mountain smack dab in the middle of the orchard.  
>She edged close to the edge, but not because she felt dangerous. She thought she'd seen somepony.<br>However, before she could find out, she took one step too many, and her front hoof met air. Her rear hooves dug in, attempting to gain purchase, but the pain in her legs soon forced her to stop fighting.  
>She tumbled, very, very slowly off of the edge, yelling in surprise and shock.<p>

She flailed her front hooves, searching for something to grab. By luck, she grabbed onto a root, which protruded from a tree on top of the cliff. The root had overgrown, and now it had saved her life. For now.

She called out desperately, "SOMEPONY, ANYPONY! HELP ME!"

There was, however, nopony in sight, except for the small speck in the distance, even if it did appear to pay heed to her.  
>She could feel her grip slipping.<br>"PLEASE, H-" she began, before she lost her grip, and tumbled, screaming, toward the hard ground below.

Rainbow Dash was busy clearing the skies above Ponyville, and was just about near Sweet Apple Acres.  
>She swore she heard a voice drift in on the wind.<p>

"...NY! HELP ME!" was all that she understood.

But from those words, she knew somepony was in trouble.  
>She shot off in the general direction of the voice, catching sight of an orange mare dangling from a cliff. She had a sneaking suspicion that she might be too late, and it was confirmed when the mare began tumbling downward.<br>Dash dove towards the ground, hoping she wasn't too late AGAIN. She raced towards the ground, and took a steady position, ready to catch the falling pony.  
>As the pony got closer, she recognized it as-<p>

"Applej-"

That was all she had time for, before Applejack slammed down into Dash's waiting hooves, dragging them both down. Dash flapped her wings furiously, quickly diminishing their velocity.  
>She came to a gentle hover, and set the stunned Applejack down. Her hair was frizzy, and she looked genuinely frightened.<p>

"Rainbow, ah...thank you. I would've been done for sure right there."

Rainbow Dash waved it off. "It was nothing. But I gotta ask...what the hay were you doing up there?"

Applejack shrugged.

"Ah saw a huge mountain, ah climbed it, next thing ah know, ah'm falling to my doom, before you saved me...by the way..."

She stuck a hoof out. "We even steven?"

"Sure. We're even."

-About 10 minutes later.

Rainbow Dash once again flew through the air, now having finished her duties, she was free to practice.  
>She twirled around now, above clusters of trees, attempting to find a clearing for her latest trick.<br>Eventually, she found the perfect spot. Clear, yet also sparsely dotted with trees. She flew low to the ground, rushing at a tree. Directly before impact, she pulled up and around, circling the tree in a rainbow blur. The tree vibrated in place, not sure which way to go, due to air currents buffeting it from all directions.  
>As Dash reached the top, she came to hover.<p>

"Wait for it..." she muttered to herself.

Eventually, as the tree hit it's resonant frequency, it literally shattered into pieces, collapsing onto itself.  
>Wood rained down, coating the ground with twigs and lumps of stump.<p>

"YESSSSS!" she cheered to herself.

She tapped her head momentarily, wondering what to do next. She decided a little change would be good, and prepared to do the trick in reverse. She found a thick, tall tree, and hovered 20 feet above it's tip.  
>She dove down, circling the tree. Once again, the tree began to shake. Dash leveled out, and touched down near the base of the tree.<p>

Then things turned more sour than 9 year old milk.

As she had done it bottom to top last time, the tree imploded. So, naturally, the opposite happened.  
>It exploded.<br>Bits of leaves and pinecones rained down in front of Dash's eyes, and the last thing she saw before a particularly large piece of stump hit her on the head, was a barn in the distance, with the door swinging open.

"Ahhh, my freakin' head..."

Dash, eyes still closed, realized what she had just said.  
>She felt as if a giant hammer had decided to whack itself on the back of her head, which was a pretty accurate description of what happened, except it wasn't a hammer that had done the whacking.<p>

She opened her eyes, and her sight blurred, she couldn't see anything. She could just about make out a flickering fire, though. Her ears rang with tinnitus, drowning out the flickering.  
>She attempted to raise a hoof to pick at her ears, and found a thick quilt, emblazoned with brilliant reds and oranges, resting on top of her. A small cushion lay under her head.<br>She tried to throw the quilt off, but felt too weak to do much more than groan.  
>A distant voice sounded from what seemed like miles away, and it echoed.<p>

"Sugarcube? Ya okay?"

Rainbow moaned again. "Not...not really..."

Applejack sighed. "Ya'll gotta be more careful. Ah have no idea what happened, but, in some way, you managed ta' knock yerself out."

Rainbow's eyes glanced to the left.

"I...guess I wasn't too careful."

"Yer dern right about that! Ya' had me worried sick, RD!"

Rainbow approximated a glare, even though she couldn't tell where Applejack was.

"Why do you care? I do this stuff all the time!"

"Well, Rainbow...ah care, because ah do. Yer...yer more than a friend to me. Yer a very important pony."  
>Silence.<p>

"So, how did you find me?"

"Well, ah was at our storage barn, when I heard an almighty cracking, and a buncha' twigs rained down on the shed's roof. Ah got out in time to see ya go down."  
>Rainbow nodded.<br>After a few seconds' awkward silence, she asked awkardly,

"So...how's life treatin' you?"

Applejack sighed.

"Honestly, not too good...ah mean, bucking's half mah life, and that's...gone."

"Apple, I- wait...where are you?"

An orange blur appeared in her vision.

"Right here, sugarcube."

"Where? I don't see you!" she said, panicking slightly.

Worry passed into Applejack's heart.

"Swee-...Sugarcube, ah'm pretty much right in front of you..."  
>She attempted to cover up the blunder in her speech, and it seemed to work well enough.<br>The cold autumn air whistled as silence descended for a brief moment.

"I think my eyesight got messed up when whatever it was hit the back of my head..." Dash mused, half to herself.  
>She struggled to prop herself up, squinting fiercely, but Applejack held her down gently.<p>

"Not so fast. If ya' can't even take a quilt off yerself, ya' shouldn't be sittin' up."

Rainbow sighed loudly.

"I can make it!" she insisted.

She pushed herself up a bit, managing to actually raise her head a few inches off of the cushion before flopping back, defeated.

"...maybe not." she said, resignedly.

"Y'know, when I was no bigger than a tree stump, my mam used to tell me..."  
>Dash inwardly groaned. 'Oh great, is she gonna sing?'<br>She heard the gentle strumming of a guitar, and nearly jumped.  
>'Where the hay did she get that guitar?' she wondered.<p>

Applejack, though Rainbow couldn't quite see her, looked towards the stars, and began to pour her heart out into what is referred to as 'Music', though that hardly did the words justice...'Poetry' came closer.

"When...when did you write that?"

"Just now, sugarcube...Ah play from the heart."

"So you play what you feel at the moment?"

"Can't make it simpler, sugarcube. So yes."

Rainbow was shocked, but a part of her knew she'd been repressing this part of her for too long. She had to say something, before she fell asleep from exhaustion.

"AJ...I...I wanted...to say..."  
>Her voice faded to a whisper, barely audible.<br>"I..."  
>She didn t get to finish, as she feel asleep, completely exhausted. She snored lightly in her sleep.<br>Applejack moved closer to her special friend.  
>"Sweet dreams, sugarcube."<br>She pulled the quilt further over Dash, who sighed contentedly.  
>The moon gleamed in the distance, and not for the reason you think... <p>


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Blind As A What?

**AUTHOR FOOTNOTE, SORTA.**

**I'm terribly sorry for the decline in quality; you may not notice it, but I did. I've been straining to keep updating this, I messed up dialogue, left holes in the plot...just bear with me, I swear, I'll make Chapter 4 worth it. Deal?**

Rainbow, having horrible eyesight, couldn't exactly make it back to her house on her own. So, as of now, Applejack was, well, a 'seeing eye pony', since she had unimpaired vision.

"Ok, do ya' see that whiteish-speck?"

"Kinda."

"Well, anyways, that's yer house. Try not to hit a cloud on yer way up, 'k?"

Dash smiled. "I'll try not to. See ya later, AJ."

"Bye, Rainbow."

Rainbow Dash took off, flying in a rather wobbily line towards her large cloud-house.  
>'On second thought...' she thought to herself, swinging around.<p>

"Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry!"

"Move it!"

"Excuse me!"

Dash found it extremely hard to navigate this way,she kept bumping into everypony...literally.  
>Eventually, she found the building she was looking for. The eye doctor. She managed to paw her way inside.<p>

"Hello? I think there's something wrong with my sight."

"You...could say that. I'm over here, miss."

Rainbow turned her head towards the voice.

"Oh, right."

-"I honestly don't know what to tell you, Miss Dash. Absolutely none of our lenses seem to help you, and any newly made ones could take years to develop."

Dash looked towards what she thought was the ground.

"Oh..."

She dissapointedly trotted out.

"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!" an excited voice called out. (Pinkie pie, huh.)

"Not now..." she mumbled to herself.

She glanced to the side, and even though she didn't see the figure, she'd recognize that voice ANYWHERE.

"Hey, I came back for a rematch!" exclaimed the voice, full of energy.

"Not now, Scootaloo..." Dash muttered.

"Aw, c'mon! Just ONE? One race, that's it! Honest!"she persisted.

Dash grumbled. "Same old place?"  
>"Yeah!"<p>

The "same old place" was the place where, many, many years ago, Twilight had defeated Nightmare Moon.

"Readysetgo!" yelled Scootaloo, taking off rather unsteadily, but still, at the moment, she was doing better than Dash. On any ordinary day, Dash could've beat Scootaloo there, and have had time to take a nap before she caught up. But, with her horrible eyesight, she wasn't even sure which direction to go in. Everything was a blurry, watery speck, almost indifferent from the adjacent one.

She oriented herself towards the North {pegasi have excellent internal compasses}, and flew off, hoping she was going in the right direction.

As the specks that seemed to loom forever in Dash's vision began to darken, she knew she was near the Everfree Forest. Now she really had to be careful, or she'd plow straight into a tree. She heard the sound of a faint river splashing through a canyon echoing,and knew she was at the bridge, and was almost there.

Or so she thought.  
>She unconsciously turned to the point of which she could not hear the river, but in doing so, as Scootaloo watched from a distance, flew RIGHT over the big stone structure.<p>

'Huh?' Scootaloo wondered.

Rainbow touched down into a convenient clearing, thinking she couldn't be more than a couple of feet away. She walked around a bit, before a triumphant, "I win!" rang out in the distance, proving that she was nowhere near her target.  
>Scootaloo turned around, jumping up and down with joy, searching for her prism maned friend.<br>Her joy diminished after a while of waiting.  
>Her eyes darted around. The thick fog draped itself over the area.<p>

"Um... Dash?" Scootaloo called out. She perked her ear up in an effort to listen.

"Hold on, I'll be there in just a second!" Dash's voice echoed.

"Are you sure? Because I don't see you anywhere."

A few seconds of silence later, Dash horizontally cut through the fog, going the wrong direction.

"HEY DASH. I'M OVER HERE!" Scootaloo shouted, waving a hoof in the air.

Dash cut through the fog once more, this time ending up face to face with the orange pegasus.  
>She skidded to a stop, just enough for them to be touching noses.<p>

"Oh, there you are." Dash said with a chuckle.

Scootaloo arched an eyebrow.

"Are you OK?" Scootaloo questioned. You're a lot slower then I remember, and you could barely find me."

Dash backed away a little, from Scootaloo, and set her almost non-seeing gaze to the floor.

She sighed.

"No, I'm not okay. Some... something happened... to me..." Dash said, turning her non-seeing gaze away from Scootaloo's position.

"Dash, you can tell me." Scootaloo warmly replied, looking up to the mare in front of her.

"Well... I was doing this trick, and part of a large tree hit me in the back of the head, and now my sight is... is... SCREWED UP!" Dash exclaimed, shutting her eyes tight.

Scootaloo lightly walked up to Dash to put a hoof on her.

"Oh my gosh. I'm sorry about that." Scootaloo hesitated a bit. Curious as ever, she asked,"What trick was it?"

Dash gave a fetching glance, in the wrong direction. she sighed.

"I was practicing a trick called the tree demolisher-"

"Um, over here Dash..." Scootaloo softly pointed out.

"Oh, sorry. Anyways, you just spin around a tree, spinning either up or down depending on where you start on the tree. Like if you start at the bottom, you got to go up, obviously. Well, turns out, going down is a bad idea, at least if you don't take cover."

Scootaloo noticed that Dash's eyes seemed distant, and devoid of most color.

"Yeah...Dash, I don't think that's it..."

"I don't wanna talk about it..."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Can you get back OK?"

"Of cour-...no." she sheepishly admitted. "Just take me to AJ's farm, I'll take it from there."

"OK, Dash...if you say so."

"Rainbow! The hay you doin' here? You ain't 'sposed to go nowhere without somepony ta'-"  
>"Scootaloo helped me, AJ."<br>Applejack was incredibly peeved. Her friend was walking around essentially blind, and she still insisted on doing stupid things. It worried her.  
>"Rainbow, ah care about you. I don't want mah friends to get hurt, and yer no exception."<br>Dash shuffled her hooves, slightly off in direction. "Sorry."

Applejack eventually relented. "All right, well, since you're-"

"Applejack!" A distant voice rang out, carrying clearly throughout the autumn air.

Applejack glanced over at the horizon, dotted with apple trees and a red figure moving urgently towards them. The figure came to a skidding halt in front of Applejack. "Big Mac, where ya' been?" Applejack questioned.

The red stallion was panting, trying to put words in his mouth.

"Applejack, Ah can't find Applebloom!" His deep voice echoed in the still air.

"Whoa ther', where's she s'posed tah be?" Applejack drawled.

"Well, she said she was g'na be over at Rarity's with her friends, but when Ah got there, Rarity said she hadn't seen them the whole day! So, Ah went looking all 'round Ponyville, and can't find the 3 of 'em."

Applejack growled. "Why, them trouble make'n fillies! Ah bet ah could find em lickity-split!" Applejack tried to gallop away, but her damaged legs were a painful reminder of what she could no longer do. She sighed, and looked to the ground.

"Ah... ah think I ll need a little help finding em."

Big Macintosh trotted over to put a comforting hoof on Applejack.  
>A familiar voice echoed in the air. They all perked their ears up, and tried to pinpoint where the voice came from.<p>

"Guys, HELP."

Rainbow Dash immediately recognized the voice.

"Scootal-" Dash was cut off by a small mass crashing into her.

"Ouch. Dash why didn't you turn around, or dodge me?" Scootaloo asked.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know where you where coming from. Why didn't you stop when you saw me?"

Scootaloo stammered, "Well, I didn't... I mean, you were... Ugh, Never mind about that! Applebloom is in trouble! You guys need to come quick."

Scootaloo stood up and ran off into the sunset, yelling back to the group Follow me! The others followed, Rainbow bringing up the rear. Applejack knew exactly where the other two would be, knowing them.

Applejack angrily galloped into the Everfree Forest, the others struggling to keep up with the brisk pace she set.  
>Sure enough, after walking a little further into the dense woods, the forms of two not-so-small any more fillies appeared.<p>

"APPLE ALEXANDRA BLOOM!" Applejack angrily shouted. "WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME D'YA' THINK YER DOING?"  
>Apple "Alexandra" Bloom glanced at her sister, then at Sweetie Belle, then at Scootaloo.<br>The three fillies shouted in unision,  
>"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FOREST RACERS!"<br>All 3 of them took off, Applejack yelling "Gosh dern it, git back here!" and trying to keep up, pushing through the thick undergrowth. She momentarily forgot who she was with, and burst ahead, not waiting for the others. Rainbow, keen sense of hearing as she now had, told her that, for the most part, she was now alone in the forest, a position Applejack herself had been trying to prevent. She sighed, and turned herself in the direction she thought AJ went in, and took off, narrowly missing a couple of trees, getting smacked in the face by their branches.

Applejack didn't really mean to leave Dash behind, but the forest was no place for a half-grown filly. She heard the faint bubbling of a cauldron as she passed by what she recognized as Zecora's small hut, but it quickly dropped out of sight. Her legs ached worse than the intensity of a hundred suns, but she kept going, if only to keep her little sister safe.

After a few minutes of hurried pursuit, Applejack began to notice a thinning of trees, and thought 'Oh no...'  
>She knew the forest front-to-back, and they were coming up on the still broken rope bridge, and at this speed, nopony would be stopping on a dime.<br>"Ya' might wanna stop!" she called, knowing she couldn't catch up in time.  
>'Well, maybe they do have a telent fer racin'...' she thought to herself.<br>The three ignored her, a mistake they would all soon regret.  
>Sweetie Belle was the first Crusader to come up on the bridge. She noticed it, and skidded, trying to slow herself down. She spun in circles, and though it looked funny, it certainly wasn't. Eventually, she reached the edge, and her rear hooves slipped over. She yelled out in fear, when she felt Applebloom grab her front hooves, stopping her downward descent.<p>

"Hang...on!" Applebloom grunted, trying to hold Sweetie Belle up. Apple Bloom, however, had never really been a strong one. Very, very slowly, the two inched closer to the edge of the deep ravine. Applejack, from a distance, saw this sight, and redoubled her efforts, despite the severe pain in her legs.

However, Scootaloo had pulled far ahead, and now she added her strength to the chain of ponies. But, despite being one of the strongest of the three, she couldn't keep holding two ponies for much longer. Using her wings helped a small amount. The group appeared to be making progress, when Scootaloo got tired, and returned to the ground. Once again, they began to inch closer.  
>Applejack rushed up towards the three fillies, so close, yet so far.<br>She checked her pace, and realized she might not be able to stop in time.  
>'Well,' she thought solemnly. 'T'is either me, or them.' She quickly reached the group, making an attempt to slow herself. She partially succeeded, and was able to grab Sweetie Belle, and quite literally toss her to safety. The group collapsed back, except for Apple Bloom, who screamed, "Applejack!", and lunged after her.<p>

But Applejack was too far away to be reached. It appeared to the others, that the moment occurred in slow motion. Applejack slowly fell downwards, eyes closed tightly, not making a sound.

The others, you could call shocked.{With the exception of Big Mac, who'd lost his little sister right about the point she dashed off.}  
>There was one pony who arrived with sickeningly horrible timing.<p>

Rainbow Dash watched, heartbroken, as what she presumed was Applejack, tumbled slowly over the edge, towards the river below.  
>Her stomach leaped into her throat, her heart began beating a mile a minute.<br>Her fear was confirmed when Apple Bloom screamed "Applejack!".  
>'No!' she thought. 'Not again! She ain't gonna die!'<br>She, not having a clue as to where she was going, dove after Applejack.

Applejack tumbled end over end, the sound of the raging river growing ever louder.  
>She opened her eyes as she came face up once again, and caught sight of her little sister's face. It was incredibly...well, there's no word to describe it. Apple Bloom was watching the only maternal figure she had ever known plummet downwards, and she could do nothing about it.<br>Applejack shouted "AH LOVE YEW!" to Apple Bloom, though it did not console her in the least, rather made her more upset.  
>As the river's roar became almost deafening, something happened. Applejack's entire life flashed in front of her eyes. She saw herself earning her cutie mark, saw herself bucking trees. The last thing she saw was Rainbow Dash's smiling face, which was also-<br>'Wait a gosh-darn minute! I ain't never seen 'er like that! So why am I now?'  
>She suddenly jolted as she realized her life had already finished flashing by her eyes, and she was actually seeing her friend's face.<br>She felt a sudden pressure WHOOMPH into her chest, quickly slowing her momentum, but also driving most of the air out of her lungs.  
>Applejack swore her hooves scraped the river's surface.<br>She looked up at her headstrong friend, who was still smiling, but for one of the few times in her life, actually had tears running down her face.  
>"I...I love you too, Applejack."<br>Applejack simply stared blankly, trying to think.  
>'She...Oh consarn it, she thinks I shouted it to her! I don't really-'<br>She stopped, searching her feelings.  
>'...well, there's certainly something about her that ah like...can't say I don't love her.'<br>Rainbow began quickly flying relatively upwards, momentarily glancing upwards.

The two came back over the top to esteemed cries of joy. Apple Bloom buried her face into her older sister's shoulder.  
>"I...I thought you were gonna be gone!" she sniffled.<br>Applejack smiled. "Ah...ah thought so too, sis..."  
>She looked up, towards where her friend was attempting to make eye contact with somepony, to avoid awkwardness.<br>"Thanks to RD, ah'm still here...speaking of which, Rainbow...can ah talk with you over there?"  
>Rainbow stared towards the sound of her voice.<br>"Over...where?"  
>"Just...c'mon."<br>She placed a guiding hoof around Rainbow's shoulder, and took her out of sight and earshot of the group.

"Rainbow, ah...ah wanna talk to ya' about whatcha' said back there..."  
>Rainbow Dash internally smacked her head. 'Darn it, darn it, Dash! Too SOON!'<br>"Ah...ah can't say ah feel the same."  
>Rainbow's ears visibly sank, and her body language changed to that of one who was beating herself up on the inside.<br>"Ah...ah feel more than that. We've been through a bunch together, and ever since Twi' came along all those years ago,well... we've been through even more...Rainbow, ah don't love you...it's more than that. Ah...ah don't even know what to say."  
>Rainbow was...well, to put it simply...some sort of mix between content, and confused.<br>"You know..." she said, a grin entering her expression, her signature confidence also returning slightly. "You don't have to say anything..."  
>She quickly leaned in towards Applejack, but was quickly stopped by a hoof that she held up.<br>"It ain't that easy, sugarcube..." Applejack replied, grinning.  
>"C'mon, let's get back to the group...save that fer later, 'k Rainbow?"<br>Rainbow Dash, for the first time in her life, giggled like a little filly, the sound incredibly...not like her.

As the two returned to the gang, they were greeted by a scene of confusion, with everypony milling about.  
>"What in tarnation did we miss?" Applejack asked.<br>"Well, I thought you would'a noticed! From what I hear, Mac was 'sposed to be with you, but we can't find him!"  
>Applejack tsked. "So THAT'S what I fergot! Bi-"<br>She turned, and saw Mac himself standing right in front of her.  
>"...found him!"<br>Big Mac, though they couldn't tell due to his hue, blushed. "Eeyup...think I found ya'll first, though..."  
>The two laughed, Mac awkwardly standing there, while the three fillies looked on in confusion.<br>Truth be told, that was one of the best nights of Rainbow's life.  
>But not the best.<p>

**AUTHOR MAN AGAIN. Yeah, I will include the best night of RD's life...in CHAPTER 5! .**

**If y' got any corrections/suggestions, tell me in the review...I want this more presentable, honestly! I was tired and strained, this is NOT my best work.**

**I promise, next chapter will BLOW YOU AWAY.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author- Didn't quite live up to my expectations, but this time it's presentable. Anyways, I may seem distracted; you're right. I have a surprise fer' ya' all!**

**New fic!All I'll give away is the title, and the main character... Follow Your Heart, Rarity.**

Chapter 4

Frigid Friendship

Late Fall was now over, and it quickly jumped into Winter. As Applejack herself said, "Those weather ponies shur' work mighty fast."  
>Right now, after watching a wonderful performance of the play Loved and Lost , Applejack and Rainbow Dash trudged along, very dark storm clouds looming above them, but not daring to release their cargo yet.<br>"Aw, c'mon! You could TELL that it was fake! Even I could, and I'm...well, almost blind! Even a buncha' sticks coulda' done better!"  
>"I think yer missin tha' point, Rainbow. Ponies do that sorta' stuff to entertain others, 'course it's gonna look fake!"<br>The two enjoyed their customary back and forth, when suddenly the dark clouds above them began to drop a few gentle snowflakes, which marked the next snowstorm, at least it was supposed to.  
>"Well, we may wanna hurry up...this storm may be a small one for me, but for you, it could be huge!"<br>"Sugarcube, if ah have the right day, it ain't gonna be nothin' to sniffle at...ain't this one 'sposed to be the biggest one o' the year?"  
>Rainbow shrugged. "I dunno, what am I, the Time Keeper?"<br>Applejack turned a serious glance towards her.  
>"Well, considerin' you should know when the weather occurs, yes, ya are."<br>The wind slowly picked up, more and more snowflakes cluttering the air.  
>"You do realize that jokes have a punchline, right?" Rainbow asked, her voice as icy as the air around them.<br>Applejack said nothing, rather shivered as the wind began to reach a point of which it could be said to be a living thing, keening and moaning like a begotten spirit.  
>The two quietly walked forward, trudging towards the nearest possible shelter, which wasn't much more than 5 miles away. After a long, bitter silence, Applejack spoke up again, nearly shouting to be heard over the wind.<br>"Can we hurry this up? Ah think we ain't got but 5 minutes 'til it really starts snowin'."  
>Dash squinted, trying to pinpoint the telltale lights of Ponyville, but they were nowhere in sight.<br>As the heavy snowfall began to pick up even more, it blanketed the pathways, until soon, the two ponies were crunching along invisible pathways, with no discernible trail in sight.  
>After a few minutes' worth of no response from Dash, Applejack angrily snorted, though not at her.<br>"Oh, consarn it...this is what I was tryin' to avoid!"  
>Rainbow finally replied, teeth chattering slightly. "S-so what? I'm p-pretty sure we c-can't be too far by now..."<p>

She couldn't have been more wrong.

As the trails had disappeared under a blanket of snow, the one thing they neglected to watch was where they were actually going. All it took was one wrong turn to get incredibly lost, and they had made that turn, entirely unaware of it.

Eventually, except for the mournful wail of the wind, the air grew silent, no witticisms or retorts, merely only efforts to stay warm. Applejack and Rainbow had, in fact, packed for cold weather,but that didn't make much of a difference. Because that day in particular was one of the, if not the, coldest days of Winter. And so, though they were wearing ordinarily warm boots and sweaters, the air was so frigid, it seemed as though it leached the heat from any remote source of warmth.

Eventually, Rainbow spoke up.  
>"A-Applejack?"<br>"Yeah?"  
>"I...I think w-we're lost..."<br>Applejack was skeptical, but then she glanced around. The landscape was entirely unfamiliar, and there wasn't even a single pony in sight for miles. Most likely because they were all inside, sitting at their fireplaces, or drinking their hot chocolate. Rainbow and Applejack, well, were possibly the only ponies in Equestria who were outside.

Eventually, Applejack sighed.  
>"Shur' looks that way, s-sugarcube..."<p>

Her emerald eyes darted around, hoping desperately that she was merely fooling herself.

"So, w-w-what do we do now...? The biggest, c-coldest, worst storm of Winter is only barely beginning, we're outside,a-and there's no sight of P-Ponyville..." Dash asked, chill induced shivering a little more pronounced now.

"Ah haven't t-the faintest idea, RD... A-all ah can think of is to g-g-go somewhere hidden from this g-g-gosh darned snow."

Rainbow nodded.

"G-g-good idea."

Applejack came to the crest of a low hill with Dash, and way off in the distance, some very, very large mountains loomed.

'The Mareygan Mountain Range...the border of Equestria. Ah guess ah can say we are lost...' Applejack thought to herself.

But that wasn't what interested her. A little in front of them, there appeared to be a small overhang, which was big enough to provide a little bit of shelter.

"C-c'mon, Rainbow...Ah t-t-think ah found a p-p-place..."

"W-Which way? And d-don't you dare say "O-over there". I c-c-can't see, remember..."  
>Rainbow was attempting to be lighthearted about it, but the cold not only sapped heat, but also spirits.<br>Right as Applejack replied, a particularly loud gust of wind drowned her out, and visibility dropped sharply. Now she could only see about 80 feet off.  
>"W-well," she shouted.<br>"Ah t-THINK it's over t-there, but this d-d-dumb snow just p-picked up, so ah c-can't see a thing!"  
>With that she grabbed Dash, and pulled her gently towards the general direction of the overhang, about 40 yards away. After trudging a few steps, the overhang became visible. Up close, it was smaller, and barely provided enough shelter at all.<br>"Ah guess that'll h-have ta' d-do..." she muttered to herself. As she pulled Rainbow under the large rock's shelter, she couldn't help but notice the coloring of her hoof.  
>'Is it...turning WHITE?' she asked herself in astonishment.<br>She was partially correct, all her hooves, and pretty much her entire body, was turning a lighter shade of orange, though not exactly white.  
>'This is bad...ah better think of a way out, before ah freeze...at least Rainbow seems OK.' she thought to herself.<br>However, her own condition was nothing compared to Dash's. While her shade of delicate light blue remained, her hair was slowly losing it's luster. The more critical part, however, was internal. Pegasi can usually tolerate certain ranges of temperatures, but today was way too cold for that. And so, her muscle cells began to atrophy. In short, she was becoming gradually weaker, due to the temperature's rapid drop, and the low of nearly -12 degrees Celsius,and falling.

Applejack sat down next to Rainbow Dash, huddling closer for warmth. Rainbow's entire body was shaking, and the one part of her that wasn't affected by the cold was her eyes.  
>Rainbow glanced at her friend as she lay her head across her neck. She appeared...well, distant now. She stared blankly at a spot in the distance, softly humming some sort of lullaby to herself.<br>She cleared her throat shakily.  
>"E-E-Everything a-alright?" she asked.<br>Applejack simply nodded, she wasn't up to the effort of speaking right now. Rainbow glanced almost unseeingly at her friend, but what she did see was enough; Applejack was simply miserable right now.  
>Rainbow lay a wing across her friend, trying to keep her warm. It did seem to have a minor effect, as her shivering slowed slightly. Eventually, she spoke up, her voice showing that she was frightened beyond belief.<br>"R-Rainbow?"  
>"Hmm?"<br>"Are...A-are we g-gonna d-d-d...die?"  
>That right there nearly caused Dash to jump up.<br>"S-seriously? Giving up so early? W...We'll make it outta this, I promise. If we don't, then my n-name isn't Rainbow "Speedster" Dash!  
>"'less you can make m-magic pathways, ah d-don't think ya' can do much, sugarcube...no offense, that's p-pretty much a fact."<br>Rainbow glared at her for a moment. "Just because you say 'No offense', doesn't mean I don't find it offensive..."

Applejack made no reply, rather sank into her thoughts, but there wasn't much they could do.

'Unless...'

"Rainbow? Can ya' still fly?"

"I won't be able to see a freakin' thing, but yeah, I think so."

"Good. Ah have an idea." A few minutes later, Rainbow flew unsteadily through the air, holding Applejack below her. Though she now couldn't see far in front of her, the altitude helped, allowing her to see more than if she was on the ground. So right now, she was kind of a 'Spotter', calling out which way to turn, and such things.

While it was a good idea, they were looking in all the wrong places. Eventually, Rainbow soared down towards the ground, utterly exhausted. She didn't control the landing too well, and the two tumbled head over hooves through the now 7 inches thick blanket of snow, becoming coated with the frigid white flakes. They came to rest about a couple yards later.  
>"Y-y-ya' coulda' a-a-at least s-s-set me d-d-down before c-crashing!" Applejack spoke, terse and uptight from the incredibly lousy...heck, it was actually getting dark now.<br>"S-s-shut up!" Rainbow managed to spit out over the wind.  
>"T-t-that's a-all I c-c-c-c-can do! I c-can't even l-lift a w-wing any m-more!"<br>Applejack sighed, she knew her frustration came from the stress of not being able to do anything. Nopony was around to help, and nothing seemed to be going right.  
>"Applejack...I think it's gonna be OK." Rainbow said after a few minutes of silence. "I...I don't feel cold anymore...I think it's almost over."<br>Applejack was befuddled.  
>"W-What the hay y-you talkin' about, R-Rainbow?" she asked, before it dawned on her.<br>'Oh no. No, no, no!' she thought, panicking. "Rainbow! Stay w-with me!" she shouted, shaking her friend quite violently.  
>"Hey, quit it...I was finally warm..." Dash sleepily mumbled. Applejack's worst fear had come to fruition, Rainbow was very close to entering Death's cold grasp, from which nopony could escape.<br>"You s-shouldn't b-be!" Applejack protested. "I-it's the m-m-middle of a s-snowstorm!"

After a few moments' silence, Rainbow Dash made a large effort, and turned herself over.  
>"A...Applejack...I can see again...it's so...awesome." However, her eyes showed no indication. If anything, she appeared less seeing than ever.<br>"And...you know what I see?...I see you, and Twilight...and Fluttershy...and...and Pinkie...and Rarity...but...I also see...a strange light...it's so...pretty..."  
>Her eyes lost focus, and Applejack sank down in the snow, knowing that she was too far gone to listen to anything. Quiet tears of anger, guilt, regret, and pure sorrow dripped down Applejack's face, as her shoulders shook lightly in sobs.<br>"I...I can hear them...they sound...happy...I'm gonna...go see them..."  
>"NO!" Applejack abruptly shouted.<br>"Don't do it! I'll...I'll keep ya' here!"  
>"AJ...I think I'm supposed to go...I want to see, I want...to live...to take flight...and now...I finally can."<br>After that utterance, Rainbow's eyes slowly closed. However, her chest still rose and fell steadily. She was alive.

For now.

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. Now that her friend was relatively safe, she could at least go on by herself.  
>But ah'm too warm...<br>'Quit talkin' that way!'  
>Just lie down for a few seconds. It can't do any harm.<br>'Well...OK...'  
>Applejack was quite literally thinking to herself, but she plopped down in the snow, laying on her back. After a few seconds, pale circles appeared in her vision,crowding together, obscuring her vision as she slowly slipped out of consciousness. The last thing she saw was a striped hoof plopping down next to her, and the last thing she heard was the soft crunching of snow.<p>

An indiscernible time period later, Applejack opened her eyes blearily. She felt frozen from head to toe, and could hardly move.  
>"Aha, you awaken! For dead, I had you mistaken."<br>She lazily rolled her head to the side, and saw somepony that she would notice anywhere. Striped color, brass rings, unusual mane. Clear as day, it was Zecora.  
>"Ugh...what in tarnation happened?"<p>

"I found you, pale and white. You looked as if you'd given up a fight. I brought you back here to rest, thinking it was for the best."

"Wha-...what about Rainbow?"  
>"Ah, your friend of color! I must say, she looked a lot duller. She's over there, but with no consciousness to spare."<br>Applejack turned her head again, dislodging a few pieces of ice that had rested on it. There she saw Dash, shivering quite violently. Thankfully, that meant she was still alive, but she didn't look too good. Her hair was almost completely dull shades of gray, and she tossed and turned in her sleep.  
>"Not ta' ask too many questions, but...why were ya' even out there? It's...well, cold!"<br>"You see, I was looking for a special herb, one which is simply superb. It's only found by the mountains, which provide marble for fountains. I'm getting off the subject, but hey, no need to object! Cold it was, it gave me a buzz! But only in winter does this herb grow, while buried under snow."  
>Applejack stared at Zecora.<br>"Ah thought nothin' grew in winter!"  
>"That is what you may think, but there is a link. Early summertime it begins to bloom, by winter it has plenty of room. Able to spread, it rears it's leafy head. It's used to the cold, because it is very old."<br>Applejack was mystified, but that could wait.  
>She pushed herself up, steadying herself with her hooves. She felt unusually lightheaded, but not mentally...<br>She patted the top of her head, expecting to feel the fabric of her trademark brown stetson, but it only found hair.  
>"Where's mah hat?"<br>"You had no hat perched on your head when I found you. Perhaps it was lost, when the wind blew."  
>Applejack shrugged. "Whatever. Ah have a hundred more at mah house. What ah'm worried about...is her."<br>She threw a sidelong glance at her friend, who still shook. Her leg occasionally jerked spasmodically, battling sleep monsters.  
>"Do not worry, do not fret. I'm sure she'll get better, but not yet."<br>Applejack was skeptical, but she also knew that Zecora knew pretty much every unorthodox method of doctoring, and those methods often worked.  
>"Well, ah better go-" she began, pushing through the curtain insulating the hut. Suddenly, the gale force winds outside blasted in, nearly blowing Applejack a couple of feet back.<br>At this, she hurriedly yanked the curtain back, allowing the wind to dissipate again.  
>Shortly after the burst of air swept through the air, Rainbow Dash jerked awake.<br>"NO! SHE ISN'T-...Whoa...wha-where am I?"  
>Applejack smiled. She was back.<br>She went to embrace her friend, but jumped back.  
>"Sheesh, yer frozen more than an ice cube!"<br>Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Glad to hear those words the second I wake up."  
>A short pause.<br>"Am...am I...you know...?"  
>"No, sugarcube...and thank Celestia for that. Ya'...ya' almost left me."<br>On an impulse, she gave Rainbow a quick peck on the cheek.  
>"But ah know you wouldn't, y'know...loyalty 'n all." Zecora spoke up. "Missed something, I must have. For you two,seem to be in love."<p>

"Yes, Zecora, I reckon you did. Don t feel left out, though...nopony else knows quite yet...though they know somethin's up."

"Ah, I see, a relationship of secrecy. Don't worry, it's safe with me." Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other, a look of understanding passing between each other.  
>In perfect unison,throughout the entire sentence, they said,<br>"Don't worry about it."

**"BEST NIGHT EVER", for real, next chapter.**


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